


Spice and Magic

by skyestar7703



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously, Light Angst, Multi, Odd Friendships, Supernatural placed in the canon world, Urban Fantasy, Witches and other magical creatures, covens - sort of, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-01-29 17:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21413857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyestar7703/pseuds/skyestar7703
Summary: Shiota Nagisa is a witch - he's been one his whole life. He'd like to know more about what that means, but due to living with a mother who despises magic of all kinds, all he has to show for his efforts are a few poorly done spells and a disaster waiting to happen.Luckily for him, the Junior High School he attends happens to be filled with magic and secrets, and with a cheerful changeling, grumpy nephilim, and various other magical beings by his side, Nagisa's well on his way to finding himself and growing into his powers.(There's also the whole assassination thing going on, of course. Somehow it always comes back to Korosensei.)
Relationships: Akabane Karma & Shiota Nagisa, Asano Gakushuu & Shiota Nagisa, Irina Jelavić/Karasuma Tadaomi, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 132
Kudos: 211





	1. The Odd Schoolmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I'm back with another new story! Should be a fun time. I'm always a sucker for fantasy AUs, especially when they mix in with actual canon events. 
> 
> In case anyone is curious, this fic is going to start during second year, when Nagisa is still in D-Class, but will move on to third year eventually. I hope you all enjoy!

Nagisa tries not to let his hands shake as he holds the piece of chalk in his palms, ready to draw upon the unsuspecting floor of a storage room at the extremely prestigious Kunugigaoka Junior High. He’s got the book he borrowed from the part of the local library most can’t see by his side, unlit scented candles and empty bowl next to that. If he’s caught, he could get in massive trouble, more so than he ever has before, and not just from the school. If Mom finds out…. 

But that’s why he’s doing it here. Because he can’t let his Mom find out, but he can’t just pretend this isn’t a part of him, like she does. He can’t just throw this piece of himself away.

So if Nagisa needs to learn how to use his magic on his own, then he will. And hopefully, she’ll never find out. 

So he steadies his hands, because he’s heard shaky lines can backfire badly, carefully drawing the runes he saw from his borrowed book. He checks and double checks and triple checks, wiping and redrawing, before confirming that all lines and runes are both perfectly in place. Looks like he’s good on that part. 

Next he lights the candles, using the matchsticks he managed to get from the convenience store. Mom wouldn’t let him touch those things with a ten foot pole normally, so he’s kept them in his usual hiding place by the school, along with other small things Mom won’t let him have. It’s kind of dirty, but they seem to work just fine. 

There’s probably plenty of better items he should be using, but Nagisa has no way to get any of those things, not without Mom finding out. So this is what he’s stuck with for now.

The goal of this whole mess of things is, hopefully, to create a sustaining fire that will hover about the circle for as long as the chalk stays in tact. Once the spell is cast the candles will no longer be required, which is good, because what use would a spell for fire be if it only lasted as long as an actual fire? Not to mention the candles and bowl are only for beginners. If he gets really good, he can cast it without them.

Not to mention that it’s pretty safe to undo. All Nagisa has to do is break up the circle, and the spell will be over. Perfect for testing. 

Nagisa puts down the last candle in place, and sets the bowl down in the middle. He checks the book one more time, making sure he has every word down-pat. Then he starts the spell-

-and is outside of the room, being held back by the arms of someone strong. The door to the storage room slams shut with a gust of wind. The sound of what can only be an explosion reaches Nagisa’s ears, muffled by the door. 

“H-hey!” He shakes himself out of his stunned silence, kicking back, and is released. The stunned silence is back a moment later as he turns around to find the person who had grabbed him was none other than Asano Gakushuu, the principal’s son, and best in their year.

Asano looks at him, unimpressed. “A simple “thank you” would be nice. Perhaps I didn’t save your life, but I can guarantee you wouldn't have liked to be in there for a few more seconds.”

Nagisa frowns. “What do you mean?” That weird explosion? Was that what he was referring to? Asano gestures towards the door, and so Nagisa walks back towards it.

He notes that his bag and book are both outside the storage room. How did they get there? Did Asano grab them? Nagisa would have seen him if he had. Wouldn’t he? But Asano had also brought him out of the room faster than Nagisa could blink, so maybe? 

_But that would mean…._

Nagisa opens the door, and is unable to hold back a gasp at what he sees. The area where the circle had been is completely charred black, candles and bowl reduced to nothing but ash. Everywhere around the former circle looks like it’s been hit by a tornado, and plenty of small objects have been torn to shreds. 

Nagisa quietly closes the door and looks back at Asano. The other boy shrugs. “You would have lived, but you’d have lost more than one limb in that mess.” He surveys Nagisa with piercing eyes, and Nagisa shifts uncomfortably. “You have magical talent, I’ll give you that. Still, I’ve never seen a simple spell backfire so badly before.”

“Seriously?” Nagisa feels his face flush. Is he really that incompetent, that he can’t even do something simple without it literally blowing up on him?

Maybe Mom was right. Maybe he shouldn’t be practicing magic.

_But hang on…._

“Asano?” He asks. “You say that like you know a lot about spells and magic. And the way you talked about what would have happened to me, like you were absolutely certain…” Not to mention how Asano knew what he was doing in the first place. “Are you-?”

“Not here,” Asano interrupts, looking around quickly. He picks up his own bookbag off the floor. “Lunch is almost over. I’m going back to class, and I suggest you do the same.”

“Wait!” Asano pauses, which is good, because Nagisa can’t let this opportunity slip through his fingers. “If not here and now, can we talk later?” Asano looks like he very much wants to say no. “Please? Your the first person I’ve - I mean, I’ve never met before-”

“The roof. After school today,” Asano concedes. “Try not to be late.” With that, he’s gone, and Nagisa is left to pick up his things and head to his class, hoping no one realizes he was right by the storage room when it exploded.

* * *

Nagisa heads up for the roof as soon as class is over. There’s not much there, save for a few massive boxes and scattered chairs and desks. Asano is already there, lounging in one of those chairs. 

“Sorry for the wait,” Nagisa says, setting his things down and trying to act casual. He sneaks a side glance at Asano. “Is there anything I can do to help, you know, the repairs?”

“For the storage room?” Asano rolls his eyes. “I don’t think so, no. Unless you have that kind of money sitting around?”

“No, sorry.” Nagisa laughs nervously.

“Then don’t think about it. It’ll be fine.” Asano stretches his arms nonchalantly. Nagisa wonders how he could be so calm about something like that. Asano focuses back in on him. “So, you wanted to talk. Talk.”

Nagisa gulps. “Well, with the knowing about something before it happens, and the speed you showed, I was wondering if you were-” How does he even say this? Is there a right way to say this? “-Like me,” he finishes lamely. He winces at the other boy's sour look.

“No,” Asano snaps. “I’m not like you. Is that all?”

Normally he would leave it at that, but this is the first time Nagisa’s meet someone magical outside his mom and his grandparents, who he can barely remember. He can’t just let it go. “Are you sure?” He presses. “Because-”

“I’m positive.” Asano’s glaring now, and Nagisa can see what everyone means when they say he’s intimidating. “Trust me, we’re not the same.” He sounds angry, but he sounds sad as well, and Nagisa feels for him, just a bit.

He’s always been told he’s too curious for his own good, and that must be true, because Nagisa aches to know what exactly Asano is. The other boy obviously doesn’t want to open up though. Maybe if Nagisa shared first? If nothing else, it might lift a weight off his chest, to tell someone. 

He sits down next to Asano, as silently as possible. “I’m a witch,” he confesses, softly. Something about saying it out loud, to someone outside of the family, it’s wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. “I’m a witch," Nagisa says, louder and more confident.

“I heard you the first time,” Asano’s dry voice cuts in. Nagisa winces.

“Sorry about that,” he murmurs. “It’s just- I’ve never really been able to talk about it before.” He takes a deep breath. “My whole family on my mom’s side have been witches, for as far back as I know. And we’ve always lived by the ocean, until Mom. Apparently something about the sea gives us power.”

“That makes more sense.” Nagisa turns to look at Asano, surprised. “Your whole family is connected to water magic. If an elemental witch wants to work with the opposite element, they need to be extremely well versed in their craft. It was your lack of training that contributed to the backfire, not lack of talent.” He inclines his head. “I misjudged you.”

That’s probably the closest to an apology Asano gives, so Nagisa says “Um, thanks.” Really though, he’s more relieved at the rest of Asano’s words. So he isn’t a failure after all! 

“It was still an idiotic thing to try though,” Asano interrupts his thoughts. “If you know you gain power from water, why would you try to use fire first? Why not earth or air, at the least?” 

_Yikes._ Nagisa manages to keep himself from flinching at the cutting words. It’s nowhere near as harsh as his mother, anyways. Asano did save his limbs, and Nagisa did explode a storage room in his dad’s school, so he deserves some sort of explanation. It’s not like Nagisa has to tell him all the worst parts.

“I wanted to make sure my mom didn’t know what I was doing,” he admits. “She hates magic. She told my grandparents that witchcraft was for no one but ancient relics and fools, and forbade me from ever using it. That’s why I was casting the spell at school, and with fire. Less of a chance she’d notice than if I used something else.”

“She might notice if you used water, if she studied magic enough before dropping it,” Asano agrees. “She wouldn’t notice anything else, however. Try something safer next time.” He smirks. It reminds Nagisa an awful lot of Karma. “I don’t want to have to pick up after you again.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t.” Nagisa promises, returning Asano’s smirk with a more genuine smile. Even if the other boy doesn’t reciprocate, telling someone about his witchcraft has lifted more of a burden off Nagisa chest than he even realized he had. “Thanks for listening.”

Asano stares at him like he’s grown a second head. “You actually mean that.”

“Well, yeah.” Nagisa shrugs. “I probably wouldn’t say so if I didn’t.” He’s good at hiding his true feelings, he knows. But when he’s genuinely grateful for someone, he makes sure they know it, and that his words are true.

(...Except for his mom. But Nagisa doesn’t want to think about what she would do if he didn’t say he was grateful to her.)

Asano seems to laugh incredulously at his words, before turning away. The two sit there for a few minutes, in thoughtful silence. It’s pretty nice, Nagisa thinks. He’s used to Karma’s non-stop flow of words, and rather enjoys listening to his friend talk, but he can appreciate comfortable quiet as well.

Eventually, Asano receives a text from who Nagisa supposes is his father, and stands up. “I’ll be going now.”

“Can we hang out another time?” Nagisa asks, before he even registers what he’s saying. The first ranked student-council member raises an almost condescending eyebrow at him.

“What makes you think I’d want to do that?” His tone is clearly mocking, but Nagisa doesn’t rise to the bait, having figured out what he wants to say.

“I was the only witch I knew, besides my mom, who hates what we are,” he says. “You might not be the same as me, but… maybe you’re lonely too, without someone who understands, even just a little bit?”

Asano seems to be rendered speechless, staring at Nagisa, who looks right on back. 

Asano turns away first. “If I find the time,” he sighs. Nagisa counts that as a win. 

Hopefully he can actually make a spell work for him before then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the awkward friendship that is to come. Well, part of it, at least. I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication is a two way street.

Nagisa takes Asano’s words to heart, and the next time they see each other is some days later, on the rooftop once again. He’s heeded Asano’s warnings, and is trying a nearly identical spell, but with earth rather than fire. The symbols and materials need to be altered a bit, but that’s an easy fix, with what he already has.

Asano eyes his circle critically as Nagisa double checks his work, but says nothing, leaning back against the railing as Nagisa reads the incantation aloud. 

The dirt and rocks he’s gather float up in the air, circling around and around in an almost perfect sphere, constantly shifting back and forth, but not once dropping. Nagisa sighs deeply in relief and leans back to admire his handiwork. 

“It won’t be useful for much,” Asano notes dryly. “Unless you want to show off for others one day, which I suppose I can respect.”

Nagisa’s not sure if he’s joking or not, but decides to roll with it anyways. “It’s not about how useful the spell is,” he says. “It’s that I did it. I cast an actual spell, and it worked, without malfunctioning or blowing up on me! I actually did it,” he repeats, the words finally sinking in. “Wow. I actually did it.” Maybe this isn’t a big deal for Asano, who’s probably seen much cooler things, but Nagisa’s feeling an immense amount of accomplishment right now, and nothing’s going to take that from him.

Asano sits down across from him, looking his sphere up and down. “It could be better,” he says, “If you say the incantation more confidently. Think of it like you're issuing a command. If you sound too weak, you won’t be obeyed.”

“R-right.” Commands aren’t really Nagisa’s strong suit. Still, he’s sure he understands what Asano’s trying to say. “Thanks for the advice.” 

They sit in silence a little longer. Nagisa wonders if this was really a good idea after all. Sure, he’s happy to have met someone like him, but Asano clearly doesn’t feel like talking about their shared world, and they don’t have much else in common besides magic. Heck, Nagisa doesn’t even know what Asano’s magic really is.

Asano clears his throat, drawing Nagisa from his thoughts. “You know, this really isn’t that bad, for a first attempt. It could use a lot of improvement, but you’ve got real potential. If your mother won’t allow you to use water, perhaps you should focus on earth.”

Nagisa brightens. “You think so?” Maybe he’s overthinking it. Asano wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t want to hang out with Nagisa, right? Maybe the feeling of wanting someone like him is more mutual than he realized.

“Don’t look so surprised.” Asano narrows his eyes. “I may not be a witch, but there are lots of different spells for you to study, from what I know. Not just elements, but things like healing, and curses, and potions. You have options.”

“I guess so,” Nagisa says awkwardly. “I figured there was more to it than just elements. It’s just hard to tell what things about witches are real, and what is made up.”

“...Understandable, I suppose.” Asano shifts. “I may have a few certified books on the subject. My father likes to have a sound understanding of magic and those who can wield it, after all.” He looks at Nagisa’s leatherbound library book. “Maybe when you’re done with that.”

Nagisa laughs awkwardly. “That might not be for a long time.” The book’s full of elemental magic anyways. He’ll be needing something else if he wishes to learn more.

Still, the idea of focusing on earth magic for now is a good one. It’s probably a good idea to do one thing at a time, so as not to mix different spells and ideas up. If there’s one thing that Nagisa knows for sure about magic, it’s that mistakes aren’t an option. 

He wonders about the principal, and why he would care so much about magic. Are he and Asano the same thing? That would make sense.

“True. I suppose I’ll hold off for now then.” Nagisa flashes him a quick smile and erases a part of the circle, letting the sphere of dirt drop down to the ground, unmoving. 

“Thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it. I just want to make sure I’m going about this at a good pace. Don’t want you to have to rescue me again.” The last bit is partially a joke, but partially true. As much as Nagisa is glad he now knows he’s not the only magic user at this school, looking at the destruction his wayward spell caused was pretty sobering. He doesn’t want anyone getting hurt because of him. 

Again, Asano looks somewhat surprised. Maybe more than somewhat, but it’s hard to tell, considering his remarkable control over his facial expressions. 

“You’re really being truthful,” he marvels. “I can’t believe it. And you’ve just started practicing magic, so you wouldn’t be-” He cuts off, looking at Nagisa thoughtfully. “Maybe we should meet up again.”

“I’d like that,” Nagisa agrees. 

“Fine.” Asano gets up. “I’ll see you in two days, same spot.” Nagisa watches him leave. Maybe it’s his imagination, but he thinks he sees a flash of gold as Asano passes by.

* * *

Nagisa has extra homework to do, so instead of continuing to try and improve his spell, like he did yesterday, he’s working on his math problems when Asano makes his way over to him. Just as well, it would be kind of embarrassing if Asano found him as he was yesterday, trying that earth sphere over and over again, trying to make his voice more commanding. 

He smiles and gives a small wave as Asano sits down next to him. “Hey. How are things going?”

“They’re going just as they usually go,” Asano says stiffly. He drums his fingers on the desk, clearly nervous in some sort of way. Nagisa decides it would be best not to push him, and stays quiet, hoping he’ll come out with whatever it is.

They stay that way for a while. Then-

“A nephilim.”

Nagisa blinks. “Huh?”

“You were wondering what I am,” Asano says impatiently. “I’m a nephilim. Half-human, half-angel.” 

“Oh. Wow.” Nagisa tries to process that. It sounds pretty unbelievable, someone being half _angel_, of all things. Then again, if Asano had said he was partially some other mythical being, he might have believed him more, which would be hypocritical. There was just something about angels that felt so… out there.

But Nagisa was a witch, of all things. Would it really be fair for him to judge Asano, when most people wouldn’t believe Nagisa?

“Okay. That’s pretty neat,” he finally says.

Asano looks almost stunned. “You believe me.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe it. Are you generally a gullible person, or just an idiot?”

“So… you’re not a nephilim?”

“No, I am.” Asano shakes his head. “I simply thought I’d have to prove myself to you. Most people wouldn’t accept an explanation like that so easily. I have to admit, you’re an odd one, Shiota.”

“Nagisa,” he corrects automatically. “Everyone just calls me Nagisa.” Now that Asano’s mentioned it, however, he can’t help but wonder… “Do you have wings?” He realizes how that sounds and quickly backtracks. “Sorry, that was rude, you don’t have to answer that. I guess I was just curious, is all.”

Asano stares at him incredulously for a moment, then lets out a long sigh. There’s a shimmering movement, like how pavement looks from far away on a sunny day, and then two large golden-brown wings appear behind Asano, jutting out from around his shoulder-blades.

Nagisa looks at them in awe. “They’re beautiful,” he blurts out, before quickly covering his mouth.

Asano’s lips twitch in a smirk. “Thank you, I suppose.”

“Can you fly?” Nagisa wonders. “I mean, obviously you wouldn’t around most people, but, like, in general?”

“I haven’t tried many times.” Asano’s face clouds over. “There aren’t many places where I can use them.”

“Oh.” Nagisa winces and looks away. “Then your dad-”

“Completely human,” Asano interrupts, looking sour. “You can’t pin his actions on any sort of inhumanity, that would be my mother. And she left us a long time ago.”

“Ah.” Nagisa isn’t that surprised, to be honest. He’d rather not say it out loud in front of the man’s son, but the principal strikes him as pretty much the exact opposite of an angel. He wonders what a being like that saw in someone like the principal. Then again, it isn’t like he knows the man. Maybe he’s a lot better than he lets on.

“So, being part angel lets you move really fast and see the future?” He summarizes. “That’s pretty neat.” His mind flashes to Asano’s constant surprise at his honestly. “And some sort of empathy powers?”

Asano stiffens. “In a sense. Save for my father, who has learned to take measures that will ensure I cannot read him, I can tell when people are being truthful to me. Do you know what that’s like, always knowing when people are lying to your face? Especially in a school like this? And I can’t control my visions.” He shakes his head. “There is more. I know I’m more powerful than this. Unfortunately, there’s no magic books to help me figure this out.” He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “The only one who could have helped is gone.” 

“...Sorry,” Nagisa says softly. “I didn’t realize.” He searches for the right words. “At least you’re not alone. You’ve seen my struggles with figuring out my magic. If you don’t know everything, that’s okay! We can figure it out together.” Asano just looks at him for a moment, and Nagisa wonders if he’s using his powers to tell if he’s being truthful or not.

Asano seems to arrive at a conclusion. “I doubt there’s much you can do to help. But if you insist, I think it would be educational to accompany you during your endeavors.” _Yes_, in essence.

He’s not really sure if he can count Asano as a friend or not. Probably not, since Asano definitely doesn’t see it that way. But with how Karma’s been drifting away from him recently, it would probably be a good thing to have more than one person he can rely on. 

And who knows? Maybe they will become good friends someday. Nagisa sure hopes so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually think Nephilim suits Asano well for mythical creatures. He's really got that _"cold light"_ sort of aura in canon, and who ever said angels always had to be the good guys? They represent order a lot of the time, sure. But in Assassination Classroom, order isn't always a good thing.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review, tell me what you thought, or any ideas you want to share!


	3. Power of Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa and Asano make a new friend.

“There’s something in here.” Nagisa roots through his hidden storage of items. It’s become quite a bit fuller since Asano started hanging out with him, but he can still tell there’s something wrong. 

“There’s quite a few things in there,” Asano says dryly, peering lazily over his shoulder to get a better look.

Nagisa resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Yeah, obviously. I mean, there’s something in here that you and I didn’t put in. Call it witch’s instinct, or whatever, but I’m sure of it. It’s nagging at me, like some sort of itch I can’t really scratch.” Asano raises an eyebrow, but otherwise refrains from snarking back.

They’re in the woods, at the base of the E class mountain. No one comes up here besides the one group with the lowest grades in the school, and they don’t deviate much from the beaten down path laid out for them. With all of that in mind, the best place for Nagisa to hide his things where no one will find them is just a bit off the trail and into the woods, found again using landmarks Nagisa hopes are discreet enough. So far they seem to have been, since no one but him, and now Asano, have found this place.

And possibly one other person, apparently.

Nagisa’s fingers snag on an unopened envelope, something he never put in storage, and he pulls it out. It isn’t marked or sealed in any way. 

Asano narrows his eyes at the envelope. “It seems you were right. Doesn’t look like trouble, but it would be good practice for you to test for any sort of curses.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Nagisa pulls out the sheets of paper containing the spells he was working on. In the end, he had to return the book to the library, so he made sure to type out and then print up all of the different spells he wanted to try, then, after deciding he didn’t want to risk borrowing a book from the principal, asked to do the same with the books Asano offered. It would’ve been a lot easier to just take photos, but his mom occasionally looks through his phone to see what he’s been up to, and Nagisa isn’t taking any chances.

Putting the envelope in front of him, Ngisa traces a circle on the front of it with his finger, selecting the correct spell and saying it aloud, trying as hard as he could to sound confidant. There’s a light glow surrounding the envelope, and then it dissipates.

Nagisa breathes. “Looks like it’s all clear.” Asano hums, and Nagisa takes out the paper inside of it, then frowns at the words.

“What does it say?” Asano asks.

Nagisa hums in thought. “It asks both of us to meet at a specific location. Some sort of rock formation in these woods?”

“I know where that is.” Asano eyes the note apprehensively. “I’m curious as to who wrote it, and what exactly they want from both of us. We’ll need to work on protection spells soon, so that we can hide our spaces more thoroughly.

“Definitely,” Nagisa agrees. He’s been working on his earth sphere for the past couple weeks, and is getting pretty good at it. He’s even found a way to make the sphere slightly bigger. Still, things like protection spells should probably be learnt before anything else, just in case. 

He looks at the note again.

_Hello, to the two who use this place! Sorry to contact you in this way, but I was wondering if I could speak with you? If so, please meet me at the swirly rock formation in this forest. I hope to see you there! _

* * *

There’s a girl sitting on top of the rock formation. She’s got short, light red wavy hair, going down just below her chin. She swings her feet back and forth off the edge of the rock, looking pretty nervous.

Nagisa’s seen her before, he’s sure. He thinks she’s a C Class student, but they’ve never said as much as a hello to each other before, much less held any sort of decent conversation. It’s a little bit nerve-racking, to be honest.

Asano steps forward. “Were you the one who called us here?” He asks.

The girl jumps a little and looks up, a smile stretching across her face. “Oh! You must be - yeah, it was me who wrote the note. It’s nice to meet you both!” She gives them a cheerful wave. “I’m Kurahashi Hinano, but Hinano works just fine for me.” She jumps off the rock as they come closer.

“Shiota Nagisa. Nagisa’s fine with me.” He holds out his hand, and she shakes it. Asano hangs back wearily.

“Nice to meet you Nagisa.” Something seems to cloud her expression. “But you know, you shouldn’t just give out your name like that, all willy-nilly. I wouldn’t do anything with it, of course, even if I knew how. That would be wrong! But many don’t feel the same way.”

His name? That’s right, he’s heard somewhere that names have power. “I’ll keep that in mind, Nagisa assures her. “Thanks for the warning.”

“And be glad I can verify that you’re telling the truth,” Asano says coolly. “You’re a fae, aren’t you Hinano?”

Hinano winces, stepping back. “Please just hear me out! I promise I won’t cause any trouble, I just found out there were other magical beings at this school and wanted to meet them.”

Nagisa sees no reason not to believe her, but he looks towards Asano anyways, for confirmation. Asano doesn’t seem to be very happy.

“Since you’re being honest,” he eventually sighs. “We’ll hear you out.”

Hinano smiles gratefully. She seems to be mentally preparing herself, and then she speaks again. “Well, it would be more accurate to call me a changeling. I… was placed with the Kurahashi family at birth, and the real Hinano was taken. Not that I wanted that to happen,” she quickly assures them, “I didn’t have a choice! There was nothing I could do!” She seems to fold in on herself, hugging her sides. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve been hiding who I am for so long, and I thought maybe…”

“We’d understand?” Nagisa finishes. Hinano nods wiping at wet eyes. “I think we do. Well, I can’t speak for Asano, but I understand. It’s not your fault, what happened.” Honestly, he doesn’t know enough about the fae, considering how scattered their mythos are. But if Asano says she’s telling the truth, then she definitely is.

Hinano doesn’t look like she believes him, but she smiles anyways. “Thank you. You’re a witch, right? Your stash was filled with items for spells and rituals.”

“Guilty as charged,” Nagisa chuckles nervously. It’s still both frightening and exhilarating, having people know exactly what he is.

“And you’re some type of angel? A Nephilim?” Hinano giggles at Asano’s mortified look. “Don’t worry, most people can’t tell. I’m not very good at all the different fae magic, but I’m an expert in glamour, and can see right through pretty much any glamour, like the kind you have on your wings.” Asano looks somewhat self-conscious and his wings shimmer into existence behind him. “They’re very pretty, by the way! I love those colors!” 

“Right.” Asano still looks somewhat uncomfortable, but he seems to try and push it off. “Well, now that you know, I suppose we’ll have to keep an extra close eye on you. We’ll be seeing each other often.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Nagisa says apologetically. His answer is a heartfelt hug by Hinano, pulling them both towards her with surprising strength. Asano is able to slip out easily, but Nagisa struggles for a bit before finally being released. 

Hinano claps her hands together. “Oh, I can’t believe it! This is going to be so fun! I’ve never hung out with people like me before! Oh, do you have a Coven? Can we meet them?”

“A Coven? Oh, right.” Lots of witches have Covens, Nagisa’s heard. “Um, no. I’ve never met another witch outside of the family, and those in my family… don’t practice.” 

“Aw.” She looks saddened, but only briefly. “We could be your Coven, if you want! Asano and I, I mean. Coven’s only need three people to form, don’t they?”

“I’m pretty sure all three need to be witches though.” Asano looks more amused than anything.

Hinano is undaunted. “We’ll be his honorary Coven then!”

The two continue to argue about the specifics of covens, and all Nagisa can do is watch and smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a quick new chapter! The main trio has now been formed. What wonderful and exciting shenanigans will they discover in their last year and a half of junior high? Stay tuned to find out!


	4. Little Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something looming on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter here, but it's much more of a segway into what could be considered the main part of the story. Technically, you could call these first few chapters a prologue of sorts. I hope you enjoy!

“I still don’t understand why we can’t try a love potion,” Hinano complains, as she cuts up some roots. “I mean, that’s like a classic witch thing, isn’t it? It would be so cool!” She passes them to Nagisa, who checks over the ingredients list once more, before sprinkling it in.

“I told you, I just don’t like the idea of it,” he says. “You shouldn’t force love on someone, even if only for a little bit. Mind handing me those basil leaves?” Hinano shrugs and gives them over.

“Love potions don’t actually cause love, just infatuation,” Asano corrects absentmindedly, flipping through the book he brought. “It wouldn’t be anything more than some schoolgirl crush, especially with your skill level.”

Hinano sticks her tongue out at him like the mature fourteen-year old she is. “Rude.”

“Maybe so, but I still don’t like it.” The potion is turning purple now, which is a good sign, so Nagisa picks the spoon back up and starts stirring counter-clockwise. “It just rubs me the wrong way, I guess.” 

“If you say so,” Hinano concedes. “You think brewing a truth potion is much better, then? I mean, you’re still forcing someone to act against their will.”

“Well I personally would love to give everyone in my class a truth potion,” Asano huffs. “It would be a refreshing change of pace, for everyone else to be forced to know their peers intentions. Not to mention it would probably be great entertainment.”

Nagisa lets out a little chuckle. “That’s a bit harsh. They can’t be that bad, right?”

Asano shrugs. “Some of them are fine. I have fond memories of a select few, whose intentions towards me and their other classmates are genuinely good, perhaps even noble. But there are so many others who aren’t and I would love to see them exposed for the bastards they are.”

Asano must be feeling more comfortable around them, because his wings are in full view, fanning outwards, sending rays of golden light everywhere. It’s nice to think about, the fact that they’ve gotten to this point. Two months ago, Nagisa had been forced to hide his magic from everyone, unable to express that part of himself. Now he had two good friends to share it with. 

“Speaking of acquaintances in school,” Asano continues, “I’ve heard down the grapevine that you got sent down to D Class yesterday.” He sends a stern glance at Hinano, who looks away awkwardly. 

Nagisa’s heard that rumor as well, which makes sense, considering that he himself is in D Class. Apparently Hinano’s math grades had brought her down to his class. She’s going to be starting there next Monday, and although Nagisa feels bad for her, a large part of him is excited to have a friend in his class, especially since Karma started drifting away from him.

Hinano pulls her fingers through her hair, then laces them together. “Yeah. I’ve really got to work on my math, don’t I? Might end up in E Class next year at this rate.”

“It’s not so bad,” Nagisa tries to reassure her. “I pretty much suck at math too. Maybe we’ll both be in E Class together.”

“That’s not something to take lightly,” Asano says dryly. His eyes look far away. “Well, maybe…” He doesn’t finish the thought, shaking his head. “Nevermind.”

Hinano looks up at him. “Hey, you can’t just say nevermind! What is it?”

“A vision?” Nagisa asks.

Asano avoids meeting either of their gazes. “Perhaps. I hope not.” He shakes his head again. “No, it can’t be. There’s no way.”

“You said your visions didn’t feel like anything else,” Nagisa reminds him. “If it’s something super important, shouldn’t we try and figure it out rather than brushing the whole thing off? Just a thought,” he adds quickly, as Asano glares. 

“...Maybe. Fine.” Asano sighs. “It’s completely unthinkable, though. How could the moon just… blow up?”

“...I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me,” he says grimmly. “That’s what my vision - if it really is one - was about. The moon was blown up, and both E Class and something large and rather yellow are both involved in whatever this is.”

“How?” Hinano asks, looking lost.

Asano clenches one of his hands into a fist. “I don’t know. Dammit, I don’t know what the hell that was. I have no idea how to find out.”

Nagisa recovers from his shock. “You said it has to do with Class 3-E?” He checks their potion. They’ve left it for too long, it’s useless now. But… “Maybe we could do some looking around. I bet there’s some sort of invisibility potion we could make, if we wanted to snoop around for answers.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Hinano says. “But you’d be the only one who would need it, since Asano and I can make ourselves invisible using glamour.”

Annoyance flashes across Asano’s face. “I can’t do that, actually, just with my wings.”

“Sure you can.” She shrugs. “You use glamour to cover up your wings, don’t you? Just use it to cover up the rest of your body. You did know you could do that, right?”

Asano doesn’t dignify this with a response. In Nagisa’s opinion, that’s pretty telling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and tell me what you think!


	5. A New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday celebrations and gifts are exchanged. Out with the old, and in with the new. Is that a good thing, in the end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAAACK!
> 
> Seriously though, I had writers block on this story for a while, and I think this chapter was just what I needed to keep it going. I hope you enjoy, and please don't forget to review if you like it!

“Remind me again why we’re out here at the moment?” Asano says dryly, letting out a puff of visible air. Nagisa just turns around and smiles, before continuing to lead him up the mountainside. 

“There’s a surprise for you at the top. I told you this already.” No one was in the 3-E building during winter break, which made it the perfect place to host all their magical activities on their days off. 

Asano rolls his eyes. “Have you considered the fact that I might already know what your surprise is? Visions of the future are sort of my thing, after all.” 

“You don’t know this one, I’m sure of it,” Nagisa retorts. “If you did, you’d be acting differently than you are now. And we both know you don’t control what your visions are about, so it’s not like you could’ve just looked into the future and found out when I came calling.”

“Maybe so.” Still, Asano lets Nagisa lead him forward, closer to their destination. He’s a lot calmer than when Nagisa first started interacting with him, even if he can still be a bit cold sometimes. With Karma having clearly gotten bored of him and their friendship having totally dissolved, Nagisa has found himself clinging to his supernatural friends much more than before. 

(Why did Karma leave him? Was Nagisa really that uninteresting? Maybe someone as talented as Karma would just have no reason to hang around someone as supposedly average as Nagisa. Asano hangs out with him, but only because he’s a witch. Karma doesn’t know that he’s in any way interesting.)

They reach the summit of the mountain, and make their way to the 3-E Building. Hinano swings open the door. “Surprise! Happy Birthday!”

The day before, she and Nagisa had filled the room with balloons, ribbons, and other cheerful items. While Nagisa went and got Asano, Hinano had brought up tons of snacks, blankets, and a room heater. 

Asano stares at their efforts, and, for the first time since Nagisa has met him, looking a little lost. It’s not that much of a surprise - they had found out Asano’s birthday from an outside source (Asano’s friend from student council, Ren), and had gone to as many lengths as they could to keep everything a secret. They wanted everything to be perfect. Still, something clenches in Nagisa’s gut during Asano’s long moment of silence. Did they mess up in some way?

Then Asano laughs, somewhat incredulous. “You two went to all these lengths for my birthday? Why?”

“Ren suggested it to us,” Nagisa explains. “He said you and your dad never seem to celebrate your birthday, and since we’re hanging out with you a lot, maybe we could step in and get you something nice this year.”

“So we decided to give you a surprise party!” Hinano finishes. “Come on, there’s strawberry ice cream cake!”

“Like that makes a difference.” But Asano sits down anyways. They all know he has a strong weakness for anything strawberry flavored, including Asano himself. Nagisa sits down with him, and Hinano brings out the cake. They sing happy birthday and Asano flicks his fingers to light the candles, a trick he had just recently learned, but he had to blow them out at top speed, as the flames were too hot for the candles to handle. This whole affair leaves the cake a bit lopsided, but they all enjoy it anyways.

They take out some of their cookies, and at first, talk about their different experiments, and how they’ve been progressing. Asano has recently figured out how to create white flames, and seems to be moving onto trying to control them now, since he’s long since mastered his glamour problems. Hinano has a way with plants and small animals, especially bugs, that neither of them can hold a candle to. She’s been conversing with different bugs lately, trying to figure out their language.

Nagisa’s dabbled in more potions, protective wards, and a few worded incantations. It’s not much - they’re all small skills in the grand scheme of things - but it’s progress, and almost nothing makes him happier than correctly completing a spell or potion for the first time. He’s working on his earth sphere too, of course - now he can put things in the center, and they’re held there until he releases them. 

Even with so much magic to talk about, the conversation turns from that to smaller things: how school is going, how home is going, Hinano’s crush on a cute boy from B Class, those sort of things. 

“I’m surprised you’ve been able to get away this much,” Asano says to him, and Nagisa can hear the faint concern hidden behind his words. It warms his heart, to know that Asano does genuinely care.

“I’ve been at my dad’s this winter break,” he admits. “It’s been nice. I’ve been able to be a bit more open at his place, even if he doesn’t totally understand what I’ve been doing.” It’ll be hard, he knows, to go back to his mom’s after this. Still, Nagisa had accepted the fact a long time ago, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“But since I was away, I was able to make this!” He pulls three pendants, each with an arrow marking on them, out of his pocket. It’s his true secret project, the one he’s been working on all through December, that he made and remade over and over again until he finally got everything right. Nagisa passes two of them out to the others. “I call them “Ambitious Compasses.” If you hold it and think of a goal you want to achieve, the arrow will light up and point you to where you need to go to achieve it.”

Asano takes the pendant with interest. The arrow on it lights up, pointing east. “Thank you. This might prove very useful.”

“I love it!” Hinano gushes, watching her compass spin around in circles.

Nagisa winces. “Um, I don’t think it’s supposed to do that. Sorry.” Did he mess up again?

Hinano shakes her head. “No, it’s working just fine. Trust me, I think I know what it’s saying.” There’s a sadness in her eyes that Nagisa doesn’t quite get, but he decides to leave it alone for now.

“If you say so,” he says instead.

“I do say so. Oh, and I have a present for Asano too!” She pulls out a little book from her bag, and hands it to Asano, who flips through the pages to find different flower prints on each one. “They’re all magical, so they’ll give you a small charm if you want to use one.” She mentions towards the handwritten instructions at the bottom of each page. “But you can only use a flower once. I picked all of them a little while ago, and I thought it would be nice to give to you for your birthday.”

Asano gently closes the book after another minute, then looks up at them. “Thank you, both of you. This is-” he struggles to find the right words, wings tucked around him slightly. “I never cared much for my birthday, but this has been a good day.”

Nagisa smiles. “Glad we could do this for you.”

It’s nice, being with Hinano and Asano. Really nice. He knows Hinano jokes about them being a coven all the time, but if Nagisa had to imagine what a real coven must be like, we would imagine something like this. 

The door to the classroom opens suddenly, and they all jump, Asano’s wings going invisible. Yukimura, the teacher of E Class, enters the room and looks at the three of them with surprise. Hinano shrinks back, Asano narrows his eyes.

In Asano’s searching for clues on his vision, he had stumbled across the fact that Yukimura worked for a very secretive lab somewhere in Tokyo, and had become convinced that she and the lab had something to do with it. Nagisa trusts Asano, but he worries just what they’ll find if they keep on looking.

“What are you three doing in here?” Yukimura asks, sounding far more curious than angry. “This is winter break, you know.” 

“We know,” Nagisa admits. “But we wanted to hold a surprise party somewhere we could all meet up. He looks down at the floor. We could go now, if you want.”

“Are we gonna get in trouble for this?” Hinano looks more than worried, and Nagisa feels a prickle of fear at what could happen if his mom finds out.

“Hmm. Yukimura seems to deliberate. “I suppose I could let you carry on... in return for a slice of cake.” Hinano cheers and Nagisa laughs as Asano hands her a slice. “Who’s the birthday kid?”

“That’s me,” Asano sighs, but his lips are turned upwards, and that’s as much of a smile as they usually get from him (a genuine smile, at least). “Thank you for your understanding.”

“Of course,” Yukimura winks at them. “Happy Birthday!” Then she moves towards the teacher’s office. 

“She seems so nice,” Nagisa admits, after a moment has passed. “It’s hard to see her being involved in something like blowing up the moon.”

“She’s genuine too,” Asano agrees. His eyes are distant. 

Hinano looks towards the teacher’s office worriedly. “Think she’s gotten in over her head with something? Should we talk to her?”

“What could we say, that wouldn’t give us away as snooping?” Asano counters. “No, I think the best course of action for now is to wait and see. It’s all we can do, really.”

Still, Nagisa has a bad feeling about this.


	6. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second year of Middle School comes to a close.

To say that the year ends on a sour note would be an understatement. 

Asano is too busy with end of year preparations to meet with any regularity. Hinano is confirmed for E Class after one too many failures in math, and is grounded for the foreseeable future, which means Nagisa is on his own more often than not once again. This only worsens his own concentration, and it’s not long before he Ono-sensei is casting him off to E Class as well. This makes home life…

“_You insolent brat! I do everything for you, put my blood and sweat and tears into getting you a good education and this is how you repay me? Do you want to waste your life away? Are you trying to hurt your poor mother, who does so much for you and gets nothing back for it? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?_”

...Difficult. Nagisa avoids his house as much as he possibly can.

Karma finally crosses the line by beating up some upperclassman who was bullying E Class, and he’s suspended, scheduled to be sent up the mountain to 3-E as soon as his suspension is over. Nagisa’s not really sure how to feel about that, because they haven’t really been friends for a while, but maybe they could talk more in E Class?

At least he was going to have Hinano with him. That offers no small amount of comfort. 

In the end, before the school year is officially over, Nagisa spends as much time as he can working on his spells and potions. Even after half a year, he still only has a few spells he can consider himself reasonably strong in. Still, he has enough working knowledge on quite a few others, and while earth sphere might not be very useful, checking for curses reliably and creating little pocket spaces for him to store things in could come in handy one day. Nagisa’s sure that with more time, he’ll continue to improve. 

As it is, he sits at their usual meeting place by himself, brewing a night vision potion for the first time, and trying to push away the lonely feeling in his gut. He’s much better at potions than spells, but usually when he tries a potion for the first time, he has two people with more natural talent who are there to help him. This time, he’s on his own.

Well. At least he’s not at his house right now. Mom has been in a continuous dark mood for days, and Nagisa really doesn’t feel like having his ears shouted off or his head smashed into the table right now. 

And it is peaceful out here. The breeze is light, and while it’s chilly outside, the place where Nagisa sits is bathed in sunlight, warming his whole body, as well as the stone beneath him. There are birds singing quietly in the breeze. 

_It could be worse,_ he reminds himself. _It could be worse. _

“Nagisa! Nagisa!” 

And all the time Nagisa has spent convincing himself that he’s fine without his friends goes right out the window when he hears Hinano’s voice. He spins around to see he gliding over the ground, jumping up and fluttering over to him, settling down at his side. 

Hinano smiles at him, and it’s like a second sunbeam is hitting him. “I’m so glad you’re here! I only just got away, I had to beg a lot, but I reminded my parents that It’s not technically healthy to stay inside for weeks, so they let me out. I didn’t know if you were still coming or not.”

“Y-Yeah.” Nagisa’s breath catches. “I’ve been coming every single time. Hinano….” He can’t help but stare.

Right behind Hinano, located on her back, are a pair of pink glossimer butterfly wings, somewhat transparent and glittering in the sun. Nagisa can’t look away.

Hinano glances over her shoulder, then laughs lightly. “Oh, yeah. They’re more visible in the warmer months, so I have to make sure to cover them up better. Didn’t feel like doing that here.”

“They’re really pretty,” Nagisa manages. He feels like he’s stepped into some sort of fairy tale, looking at them. 

She brightens. “Thanks! They’re not nearly as powerful as Asano’s. I can hover maybe twenty feet in the air at most, but that’s about it. Still, I like them.” A shadow crosses her face. “I wish I could show them to my parents.” 

That’s right. Nagisa wanted to make sure his mom never found out about him practicing magic because she hated all forms of it, but Hinano’s parents didn’t know she was a changeling to begin with. It must’ve been just as hard for her, keeping her secret. 

“Maybe they wouldn’t mind?” He offers. “You’ve told us about them, they sound like amazing people. I’m sure they’d understand.” 

Hinano’s smile turns much sadder. “They are great people. But I - I’m a changeling. Someone took their daughter and put me in her place. I’ve been tricking them this whole time, even if I didn’t realize what I was for years. I love them so much, but if they found out what I really was…” She trails off, unable to complete the sentence. 

“I-” Nagisa’s not sure what to say. “I’m really sorry.” They sit there in contemplative silence for a moment. 

“I almost feel like I just walked in on someone’s funeral.” Nagisa and Hinano both jump, and right there is Asano, wearing shockingly casual clothing, wings shining in the sunlight. He sits himself down and catches a glimpse of their surprised faces, before smirking. “My finals are over, and everything in the student council is ready for next year. I finally have some free time, so I came.” He looks them over. “Something wrong?”

“It’s fine now! The three of us are together again!” As if a light has been flipped, Hinano shakes away her melancholy and wraps them both in a hug. “It’s been like a month since our last meeting, and a couple weeks more since the one before that. Now we’re together again!”

Asano rolls his eyes, grumbling as he ducks out of Hinano’s grip. Nagisa envies his strength - he can barely breathe. “Get off me. At the very least, we might be able to meet up on this mountain quicker next year, with you two in E Class.” He grows serious. “Keep an eye out while you’re there, alright? My visions about that strange creature are still there, and I’m certain it has to do with your new class.”

“We will, don’t worry.” Hinano finally lets go of Nagisa, and he can breathe again. “But don’t you forget, even if you’re A Class and we’re E Class, you’re still one of us! So whatever happens with this creature, you can help deal with it too.” 

“Of course.” And though Asano tries to hide it, Nagisa sees fondness in his friend’s gaze. His chest feels warm, and he finds himself smiling along with them.

He has magic, potions, and two amazing friends by his side. Whatever happens next year, Nagisa’s sure he can face it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends what was honestly kind of like a six chapter prologue, and third year with Korosensei begins next chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed, and please don't forget to review, let me know what you like!


	7. Ready, Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa's third year doesn't kick off with a bang, but rather a pleasant clap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter, I know, but I've had writers block for a while, and this was what I could manage. Hopefully chapters will be back to normal length soon, and I hope you enjoy!

Yukimura-sensei recognizes him the minute Nagisa walks into the classroom, an understanding smile being thrown his way. “Shiota, right? It’s good to see you again. How have you been?”

Unused to a teacher actually taking an interest in him, Nagisa isn’t sure what to say besides, “Good.” He clears his throat awkwardly. “Um, thanks for letting us use this place that day during winter break. You didn’t have to. We, ah, really appreciate it.” It was probably against the school rules or something, and she had overlooked it anyways.

“Of course.” Yukimura-sensei’s eyes are warm. “That cake was so delicious, I couldn’t help but let it all slide. How is Asano, by the way? Is he doing well?”

“Oh, yeah.” A smile slides across Nagisa’s face. “He’s in A Class again this year, but we’re still hanging out. He’s Student Council President and everything.” It was a near unanimous vote, apparently, not that Nagisa’s at all surprised. 

“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you’re still friends.” Yukimura-sensei probably knows the friendship-ending affects 3-E has more than any other teacher, and so her words carry more weight. “I’m sorry to cut this conversation short, but class will be starting soon. Could you find your seat?”

Nagisa’s seat just so happens to be close to the windows, which is awesome, even if he wishes he could’ve gotten the actual window seat. He watches as other kids, his new classmates, slowly start to fill in. 

There’s Isogai, who everyone knows is only here because he was caught taking a part time job, Terasaka, who everyone but his gang avoids (for obvious reasons), Nakamura, who had always been pretty cheerful and kind of Ditzy, Sugino, who Nagisa’s always been friendly with, and many more familiar faces. 

Hinano enters the classroom and takes her seat, turning to beam brightly at Nagisa. He returns her enthusiasm. It would be nice if they were seated a little closer together, but at least their in the same class, which means they can spend more time together.

Karma isn’t here, not that he would be, since he’s still suspended and all. Knowing this doesn’t stop Nagisa from automatically looking around for the other boy. 

Yukimura-sensei cheerfully starts the class, and even just a few minutes in she establishes herself as one of the better teachers Nagisa’s had. She doesn’t scream at this rowdy class, but doesn’t take crap from them either (except for about her shirts, which are admittedly, pretty bad), she actually listens to them and loves when she can answer their questions, and she almost never raises her voice. 

So great a teacher is she, that Nagisa can almost put aside Asano’s warnings that something is up. It’s hard to imagine Yukimura-sensei being involved in something shady, but she does work at a shady lab, and they don’t really know what goes on there.

Could it be that Yukimura-sensei is in over her head, that she doesn’t have a choice? Nagisa hopes that’s the case, and as the day goes on he grows more sure that it must be true. There’s no way someone like Yukimura-sensei would be involved in something moon-destroying otherwise. 

Hinano moves over to sit down next to him as soon as lunch is called. “This isn’t so bad, is it?” Her voice is low, intended only for him to hear. “And we’ll be on the mountain so often, we can visit all our spots much easier than before.”

“Yeah, you’re right. And Yukimura-sensei seems nice too.” Nagisa once again thinks of their new teacher’s other job at the lab, and judging by Hinano’s brief downcast look, she’s thinking of the same. “Although it would be cooler if Asano was here too.”

“As if,” she teases lightly. Her smile doesn’t totally reach her eyes, and Nagisa guesses her mind is still on Yukimura-sensei. “He’d _never_ stoop so low as to be in the same class as us.” The dramatic gestures she uses really sell the little act, and Nagisa chuckles. 

There are a lot of good things about this new classroom. He can think of half a dozen places to hide his spell components and ingredients in this one room alone. And since people don’t really come up here, there was much less of a chance anything would be discovered. 

His musing is interrupted by someone else walking over. Sugino perches at the edge of the seat next to Nagisa’s, lunch in his hand and smiling at them. “Mind if I join?”

“Not at all.” Nagisa likes Sugino. He’s always been a bit of a jock, but he’s also unfailingly polite. Still, Nagisa looks over to Hinano for confirmation. 

She nods encouragingly. “This is so weird, isn’t it? E Class is a lot different than the rest of Kunugigaoka, and it’s only been half a day so far.”

“Everyone’s a lot more relaxed, that’s for sure.” Sugino switches positions so that he’s sitting comfortably and opens his lunch. “And it’s a lot louder, but we do have Terasaka in our class, so that probably can’t be helped.” Nagisa’s never really talked to Terasaka before, but he knows the other guy’s reputation as a massive slacker and bully. He wonders how much of a pain sharing a class with the guy would be. 

The rest of the day is fairly uneventful, and Nagisa’s in high spirits as he packs up his bags and leaves the classroom. Some of the others are sprinting, not wanting to waste a second of time clearing the long hike that is the E Class mountain. Others walk at a more leisurely pace, talking with each other and guessing as to what the coming year might hold. 

Nagisa, unsurprisingly, quickly finds himself besides Hinano as the two meander down the trail, talking about everything and nothing. They try not to mention anything magical, because there are still other classmates around, but that doesn’t mean they’ve got nothing to say. 

At one point, when they’ve almost reached the bottom, Yukimura-sensei catches up to them. “You’re both wonderful students,” she tells them gently. “I can’t wait to teach you both this year.”

“And you’re a great teacher so far,” Hinano says cheerfully. Yukimura-sensei brightens, as if Hinano’s just given her the best compliment in the world. Still, there’s something a little off, and Nagisa tries to put his finger on it.

“You don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave,” he realizes. “Not that you should be! But you seem like you don’t want to leave.” He looks at Yukimura-sensei’s shocked face, realizes he said that out loud, and tries to backtrack. “Not that you have to tell us anything, or whatever! I just sort of noticed, sorry.”

Their teacher smiles gently, something like sadness in her eyes. “It’s alright. I’m just going to meet up with my fiancé tonight. Nothing to worry about. I’ll see you two tomorrow!” With that she takes her leave. Nagisa and Hinano watch her go.

“She’s lying.” 

Nagisa jumps and spins around. Asano is there, leaning up against a tree and squinting at Yukimura-sensei’s retreating figure. “A-Asano!”

“Don’t scare us like that, geez!” Hinano chides.

“Sorry.” He doesn’t sound sorry at all. “I was going to meet you at the bottom of the hill, but I was bored. No one else saw me.”

Nagisa blinks. “Does it matter if someone sees you? Your wings are still covered.”

“Not in that sense.” Asano shrugs. “Some of your classmates wouldn’t like me much, nor do I have any interest in speaking with them.”

“Right.” His eyes flicker to Yukimura-sensei and back to Asano. “What was she lying about? Where she’s going?”

“No, she’s telling the truth about meeting her fiancé.” Asano frowns. “But when she said that was nothing to worry about, she was lying. She was terrified, and a little excited. A strange combination.”

“Maybe they were going to try out something really kinky tonight?” They both turn to stare blankly at Hinano, who blushes. “I mean. Some humans do that kind of thing, right?”

“Were you looking at that porn collection Okajima mentioned he’d hid here?” Nagisa wonders.

“What? No way! That’s super gross, and I would never!” Nagisa sneaks a glance at Asano to see if she’s telling the truth, but his face is impassive. Darn. 

Still, for what was supposed to be the worst of the worst classes in Kunugigaoka, Nagisa’s first day of his third year was relatively nice. If third year consisted of a kind teacher and hanging out with his friends, he was sure he could make it through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I thought Aguri's cameo on Asano's birthday would be her only appearance, but seeing as the whole moon issue is still a few chapter's away, she'll be around for a little while longer! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review, let me know what you think.


	8. Luck and Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moon blows up, and everything changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this new chapter is out. It's on the short side, but I rather like it. Hope you enjoy!

When Asano arrives at their meeting spot, he’s greeted by a curious amount of materials and components scattered around the ground, various books open to various pages. Nagisa looks up and waves at him, a smile on his face. “Glad you made it!”

Asano nods. “What’s the occasion?”

Hinano closes one of the books. “We’re planning to make something special for Yukimura-sensei. You know, as a thank you for being a great teacher so far.”

“Not anything that would give away that we’re magic,” Nagisa adds, seeing the hesitancy on Asano’s face. But we were hoping to make some sort of lucky item. That way we could give it to her without letting her know what it does, and she’ll get a lot of good luck.”

After a moment, the argument that seems to be brewing in Asano’s expression fades away. “That seems fine,” he admits. “Even if she caught onto the fact that her luck increased once we gave her the charm, she wouldn’t know it was a literal lucky charm.” 

Nagisa smiles. “That’s what I thought too.”

“We should make the charm a necklace!” Hinano suggests. “That’s innocent enough that she won’t suspect it’s magic or anything, and she can wear it wherever! And we can paint a clover on it, for extra protection.”

“That sounds good to me.” Nagisa gets to work, sifting through his books for the right charms to combine for the perfect lucky necklace. Asano leans over his shoulder, giving suggestions, and Nagisa briefly thinks about how odd it is that a mass of feathers brushing his shoulder doesn’t feel strange anymore. Hinano writes down everything they decide upon, and ends up taking it home - neither Nagisa’s mom nor Asano’s dad would be happy if they saw their son’s notes on magic. 

When they meet up again, Hinano has all the materials ready to go, and they spend several of their meet-ups working on it. It’s a lot of fun, and Nagisa’s never taken charge of a project like this before. Since charms are more of a witch’s speciality than a changeling’s or nephilim's, his friends are deferring to him more, and Nagisa just hopes he doesn’t let them or Yukimura-sensei down.

At the same time, he finds himself liking E Class much more than he liked D Class. Karma still isn’t there (and Nagisa finds himself somewhat anxious at the prospect of his return to school - will they be friends? Will Karma ignore him again?) but he has Hinano, and he finds himself getting closer to Sugino as well. The other boy is really nice, and Nagisa grows to really enjoy his company.

Yukimura-sensei is a wonderful teacher, cheerful and passionate about her job. And she still asks how Nagisa is doing. No teacher has done that for him before. No adult has done that for him before. 

A couple weeks and carefully layered magic charms later, and they’ve created a pretty pendant, white with a green clover painted on it, that if made correctly, will make it so that small things simply seem to go the wearer’s way.

Nagisa holds it up to his friends. “Think we did everything okay?” 

“It should all be in order.” Asano examines it carefully. “I think it’s ready.”

* * *

Yukimura-sensei blinks. “A gift? For me?” 

Hinano beams at her. “Yup! You’re an awesome teacher, so we wanted to make something for you!” She lowers her voice, as though sharing a secret. “Think of it as an extra thanks for not ratting us out last winter, if you want.”

“Not to speak too badly of your coworkers or anything, but you’re the best teacher either of us have had as this school,” Nagisa adds. “We just wanted to do something nice in return.”

“Wear it all the time, okay?” Hinano insists. “It’s a lucky charm. See the clover?”

“Oh, you didn’t have to! I’m just doing my job, is all.” Still, Yukimura’s smiling as she takes the pendant. “You made this? It’s beautiful! I absolutely love it.” With a smile, she slips the necklace on. “I’m so lucky to have such wonderful students. I promise I’ll wear it wherever I can.” 

The bell rings, and Nagisa takes his seat, heart full. Charms or not, all their hard work the past few days paid off, and Yukimura-sensei looks even happier than usual as she begins the class. Everything was totally worth it.

* * *

Aguri’s a little conflicted. 

Since she got that cute necklace from some of her students, she’s noticed things just seem to be going well for her. When a car runs over a puddle of water, the large splash will just miss her. She’s gotten almost every traffic light green, and hasn’t been late to almost anything because of that. She even found a 5000 Yen note on the ground! 

It’s silly to think of the necklace as magic, but it seems like it really is a lucky charm for her. Maybe even moreso because it came from two of her sweetest students. 

And today is the anniversary of when she met the Reaper. She’s already got a gift planned out, and she thinks she can essentially call it her friend’s birthday, and she wonders if she should wear her new lucky charm, to make sure everything goes well.

Sue her, she’s nervous! She’s self aware enough to realize that she’s fallen for the former killer hard, and she wants this day to work out pretty badly. 

But Kotaro hates anything that’s connected to her students, anything that shows that she doesn’t just totally work for him. Aguri can’t shake the fear that he might damage it, if he found out. She knows it’s silly, but she still can’t bring herself to take the chance. 

And so in the end, she slips the gift into her bag, and leaves her lucky charm at home. It’ll be fine, she rationalizes. She knows it isn’t really magic, just a bunch of nice coincidences. And besides, she’s never needed a little luck to survive her fiancé before. 

It’ll be fine.

* * *

The moon blows up.

Since hearing about Asano’s vision so long ago, Nagisa’s been waiting for the other shoe to drop. When all the news channels suddenly change to talking about how three quarters of the moon is suddenly gone, he’s one of the few people in the world that isn’t surprised.

Nagisa heads to school early, and sees Hinano and Asano waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain.

“We figured it would happen eventually, right?” Hinano starts. “I mean, it’s still super crazy and all, but we did know it was coming.”

“Still.” Asano shakes his head. “It’s still insane. I thought maybe I was wrong for once, but it really happened.”

A little bit of memory comes back to Nagisa. “Didn’t you say there was something yellow that had to do with it?”

“I did,” Asano confirms. “I have no idea what, though. It didn’t seem human, but I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

Hinano sucks in a breath. “You think something supernatural did this?”

“The moon literally just blew up,” Asano points out. “We can’t rule anything out.”

“What about the lab Yukimura-sensei works for?” Nagisa wonders. “Do you think they had something to do with it?” 

His stomach churns uncomfortably. He really hopes not.

* * *

Yukimura-sensei doesn’t show up to class that day.

* * *

They learn that she’s dead two days later, apparently having died in an accident. Asano looks up the lab she was at, and reports that the lab collapsed the same night the moon blew up, and the same night Yukimura-sensei died. 

She was always smiling, and cheerful, and eager to help her students. She let them have their party last winter, and proved to be Kunugigaoka’s kindest teacher when Nagisa joined her class. A few days ago, she accepted their lucky charm, and always wore it to class. She said she'd wear it everywhere.

And now she’s gone. Nagisa’s never going to see her again. 

That night, he curls up in his room and tries not to cry, because if Mom knows he’s crying she’ll want to know why and he can’t explain it to her, he can’t tell her anything. 

All that work into giving her luck was for nothing. Nagisa put weeks into getting everything just right, Hinano and Asano trusted him to get those spells right, and it didn’t work when Yukimura-sensei needed it most. Maybe… maybe he got something wrong. Maybe he gave her bad luck instead. It’s not like his spells haven’t backfired before. _Oh god, maybe this is his fault_. 

He was a failure of a witch, and a failure of a student. Maybe Mom was right about him. Maybe he shouldn’t be practicing magic. 

His phone rings. Nagisa looks over and sees Asano’s name on the screen. After a moment, he answers, trying to keep his voice from wavering too much. Asano probably thinks horribly of him right now, and the last thing he wants is to make his friend’s opinion worse. “Hey, what’s up?” 

“You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you.” It’s not a question. Asano’s voice is flat. Nagisa chokes, and stifles a sob. “You shouldn’t.”

“But I-”

“No, _listen_.” And Nagisa’s pretty sure he’s imagining the slight crack in Asano’s voice. “If something went wrong with the charm, that’s on all of us, and not just you. But I’m sure that nothing went wrong. I checked, and double checked, and it was fine. You did fine.”

Nagisa can’t hold back the tears now. “But we can’t be _sure_! We don’t know for sure-”

“You think I wouldn’t notice if we made that big of a mistake? I’m positive.” As arrogant as that sounds, it does help, because Asano’s known about magic much longer than Nagisa has, and he’s so good at everything else… 

“And anyways,” Asano adds. “If anyone deserves the blame, it’s me. I knew there was something connecting her lab to the moon exploding, and I decided that we should do nothing about it.” This time, Nagisa doesn’t think he’s imagining the waver in his friend’s voice. “I shoulder part of the blame as well.”

His voice comes out as a whisper. “What do we do now?”

“Get better.” Asano’s voice leaves no room for argument. “We all get better at magic, and we make sure this doesn’t happen again to someone we care for.”

“Okay.” Nagisa wipes his eyes. Asano’s right. He failed this time, but he’ll get better. Good enough that his charms and spells will work right, and will be strong enough to actually help others when they should. “Okay, let’s do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Nagisa. Poor Asano and Hinano. (Remember a few chapters ago, when Asano decided they should leave the situation with the lab alone? You can bet he's thinking about that now.) 
> 
> Ah well. At least we're finally approaching the start of the actual show!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a review, let me know what you think!


	9. The Show Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa adjusts to E Class without Yukimura-sensei, and makes a new friend.

They change substitutes every couple days, cycling through teachers until the principal finds a permanent replacement for Yukimura-sensei. These subs usually just give them worksheets to go over, which almost no one does. Nagisa had just started getting used to a teacher who really cared, and now she’s gone - and they’re back to the pathetic teachers of before.

Still, a little part of him is glad, even if he feels a bit guilty about that. After all, them having another actual teacher means Yukimura-sensei will really have been replaced, and Nagisa’s not ready for that yet. 

“Do you know what your dad’s doing in regards to E Class?” Hinano asks Asano one day, as they’re doing their homework in their usual spot. “It would be nice to know how long we’ll be having substitutes, at least.”

Asano looks thoughtful. “He hasn’t talked much about it. He’s been looking a little stressed lately, though, so I wonder if he’s having trouble finding someone.” Then he shakes his head. “No, that doesn’t make much sense. Kunugigaoka is one of the top ranked junior high schools in Japan. As soon as a teaching position opens up, the principal has more applications than he can reasonably interview within the same day, even for E Class.”

“Maybe he’s prepping the new teacher on how E Class if different?” Nagisa suggests. 

Asano quickly refutes him though. “When he interviews for E Class, that’s part of what he covers,” He explains. “And even if he did need to prepare them for your strange class, it wouldn’t take this long.”

Hinano hums, looking deep in thought. She’s on her stomach, butterfly wings spread open to catch the sun. Nagisa’s unashamed to admit that he’s a bit jealous of her and Asano’s wings. Not that he’d trade being a witch for anything! But being able to fly sounds amazing. “You could always just snoop around and find out.”

Asano gives her a half smile. “I think I will. But only since you two shouldn’t have to deal with such substandard education. Honestly, I might as well just tutor you both, you’d probably learn more than you are now.”

Nagisa perks up hopefully. “Could you really?”

“That’d be great!” Hinano beams. “As long as we still do magic stuff, of course.”

Asano blinks, looking a bit taken aback. Then he smirks. “That would mean a lot of extra time together. You wouldn’t get sick of it, just the three of us?”

“My friend group consists of literally you two and Sugnio,” Nagisa points out. “Of course I wouldn’t mind. Who else was I gonna spend time with?” He pushes away thoughts of Karma, because Karma isn’t his friend anymore, not yet. He made that pretty obvious, and since he hasn’t come back yet, they can’t possibly rekindle their friendship yet. Then he frowns. “You have other friends though, would you mind?”

“Oh, ditto!” Hinano chirps. “But yeah, if you don’t wanna tutor us, it’s totally fine.”

“Oh no, it’s fine. It might even be fun.” The glint in Asano’s eyes make Nagisa a bit nervous. “Alright then, we’ll start tomorrow.”

* * *

“He’s been told to hold off on hiring,” Asano tells them the next day, once they’ve finished. 

Nagisa breathes a little sigh of relief. Asano’s a good teacher, much better than their substitutes, but school work is still school work. Then he registers what his friend said. “Wait, the principal is? For E Class?”

Hinano looks just as perplexed. “Why?”

Asano shrugs. “Apparently there’s a possible applicant who might be teaching you, but they don’t know for sure yet. Large sums of money involved, too. The principal doesn’t let anyone tell him what to do like that, and he doesn’t even need the money, we already have more than enough. There’s something shady about all this.”

“Is it gonna be dangerous?” Nagisa wonders. Then, coming to him suddenly, “Your vision? About the yellow thing, and the moon?”

“Maybe.” Asano lets out a long sigh and lies down, wings spread out in the sun like Hinano. “I wish I knew more. I’ll keep investigating.” He looks at them seriously. “In the meantime, don’t let your guard down. We don’t know what will happen with this, or how it’s all connected. Don’t take any unnecessary risks until we know more.”

“What risks can we even take?” Hinano snorts. She sobers up at Asano’s glare. “I know, I know. We’ll be careful.”

“Whatever this is, it got Yukimura-sensei killed,” Asano emphasizes. “I don’t want it to take you two as well.”

“We’ll be extra careful,” Nagisa promises. He smiles. “And we appreciate you worrying about us so much. It’s nice to know you care a lot.”

Asano looks disgruntled. “I never said that.”

“But you totally meant it,” Hinano probes with a grin. “You’re actually a big softie on the inside, aren’t you? I’ve noticed that for a while now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Asano snaps back lightly. “Fine, go die, for all I care.”

“~You wouldn’t let us!~” Asano groans loudly at her singsoning, and Nagisa can’t help but laugh out loud. He really couldn’t ask for better magical friends.

* * *

The monotony of another plain day is broken by the news that they’re getting a new student. Nagisa’s first thought is Karma, but that’s shot down quickly, as their substitute says: “She’ll be coming in this afternoon. I hope you all make her feel welcome.” 

So it’s a she. Nagisa wonders what she’s like.

“Why do you think she transferred in so late?” Sugino wonders during their break. “I mean, a few weeks into the year is a pretty weird time to change schools.” Not to mention, going right to E Class.

“Maybe something happened at her school that made her need to transfer?” Hinano suggests. “I hope everything’s alright with her. We can always welcome her to hang with us, if she looks lonely!”

“I always sucks to be the odd one out in a group of people,” Sugino muses. “And it must be even worse when you’ve just moved to a new school.” Nagisa knows how that feels all too well. After all, before he met Hinano and Asano, he thought he was the only magical kid in the school. 

“Maybe we should,” Nagisa agrees. “Let’s just see what she’s like first.”

She comes in later during lunch, bright green hair tied up in pigtails and a cheerful smile on her face. Hinano spots her too, immediately standing up to wave her over. She notices and walks towards them, looking grateful.

Hinano starts the conversation. “You must be the new girl we were told about! I’m Kurahashi Hinano, and this is Nagisa and Sugino. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Kayano Kaede,” Kayano introduces. “It’s nice to meet all of you. You seem really nice.” She smiles at Nagisa. "Oh wow, your hair's really long." 

Nagisa laughs awkwardly. "Yeah. Someday I'll cut it, but for now I don't have much of a say in the matter." 

Kayano looks at Nagisa oddly for a moment, then moves forward, slipping Nagisa’s hair out of his ponytail, and using one of the hair bands around her wrists to put his hair up in two. “There. Now we match!” 

Instinctively, Nagisa reaches up to feel his neck. It’s nice, not feeling any hair on it. Really nice. “I like it. Thank you.”

Kayano waves him off. “Oh, it’s no problem. You looked like the ponytail was a bit uncomfortable.”

Nagisa thinks he’ll end up liking Kayano Kaede a lot.

* * *

Asano is waiting for the two of them at the bottom of the mountain, looking grave. “I have some more information, and it’s extremely important,” he says immediately when they reach him. “The gov-” he pauses and looks behind them.

Nagisa turns to see Kayano watching them curiously, and almost hits himself. Of course, she had walked out right after them, and they had reached out to her first, of course she was right behind them on the mountain. At least she was new, so she didn't have any reason to wonder why they were hanging out with the Student Council President. “Oh, Asano, this is Kayano, our new classmate.”

Kayano smiles cheerfully. “Kayano Kaede. It’s nice to meet you!”

If Nagisa didn’t know Asano as well as he did, he would’ve missed the way his friend stiffened slightly. Then his expression smooths out, and he smiles politely back. “Asano Gakushuu. It’s a pleasure. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you transfer to Kunugigaoka at this time?”

“Oh, you know.” Kayano shifts awkwardly. “There were some… troubles, at my last school. I needed to get away from all that.” Nagisa winces in sympathy.

“Well, we’re glad you’re here, whatever the reason,” Hinano insists. “If you have any trouble adjusting, just ask!”

“I may not be in E Class, but if you have any questions regarding Kunugigaoka as a whole, I’d be happy to answer,” Asano says, a pleasant expression still on his face.

Kayano smiles. “Thank you all so much. I’m sure I’ll have a great full year here.” She finally walks away.

Nagisa turns to Asano. “So, what was it you wanted to say?”

Then he takes stock of Asano’s face. His friend is still watching Kayano, his expression a mixture of disturbed and fascinated.

“What the _fuck_ is up with her?” He finally says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And next chapter, ten freaking chapters into this story, we _finally_ get the the beginning of the show! I hope all of you have enjoyed, and please don't forget to review, let me know what you think!


	10. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korosensei is finally met.

Nagisa walks into the classroom to find that a group of new people are already there. Men and women in dark suits and sunglasses (and is that a _gun_ Nagisa sees?) seem to be setting something up in front of the chalkboard. They look like government agents from spy movies more than anything else. But why were they here?

Feeling more than a little nervous, Nagisa makes his way over to one of them. “Um, excuse me-?”

The man glances down. “Ah, one of the students, right? Take a seat, we’ll explain shortly, once all your classmates have gathered.”

“Um, okay.” Feeling more than a little lost, Nagisa takes his usual seat and continues to watch them set things up. As quietly as he can, Nagisa pulls out his phone and opens up the group chat. 

**Blueberry:** There are MiB at our school?? Is this something the principal knows about?

**Pink Palace:** Seriously?? In our class or MC?

**Blueberry:** Our class!!

**Strawberry:** Not surprised

**Strawberry:** Saw the principal talking to them this morning

**Pink Palace:** Why didn’t you say anything then!?

**Strawberry:** I had soccer practice

“If you don’t mind, put your phone away for now,” one of the men says, and Nagisa startles. “You’re going to be signing non-disclosure agreements, so we can’t enforce it until then, but this isn’t something you should be posting about.”

Nagisa closes his phone and sees Maehara slip his own phone into his pocket as well. More and more people fill up the classroom, looking at the men in front curiously. Hinano enters and flashes him a smile, which Nagisa weakly returns. 

“Do you know what this is about?” Kayano whispers to him as she sits down. Nagisa shakes his head.

“This is a first,” he admits. It’s not like he can tell her about Asano’s warnings. 

Asano’s made it clear that he doesn’t like or trust Kayano. According to him, everything up to her name is a lie. And Nagisa does get it, sure, but he can’t help being curious. Why would she even lie about all those things? He kind of wants to find out. 

Finally, everyone is there. One of the men in suits, the one with the spiky hair, gives a slight sigh. “Alright, let’s begin. Come on in.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then Nagisa blinks and suddenly, standing before him, is one of the strangest things he’s seen so far, magic included. It’s over two meters tall, with a round yellow head and a fixed toothy smile, and tentacles waving around it. 

Nagisa sneaks a glance at Hinano. She looks as startled as he is.

This is the thing from Asano’s vision.

“Hello, how are you?” The creature says cheerfully. “So, I’m the one who blew up the moon.” They have barely a moment for that to sink in before he continues. “Next year I intend to do the same to planet Earth! But never mind that now, isn’t that exciting?!” 

_There… There are so many things wrong with this situation._

The spiky haired guy introduces himself as Karasuma, from the Ministry of Defense. He goes on to explain more, telling them that the governments have struck a deal with the creature. He’s to teach them for their final year of middle school, and in return, they’ll be trying to assassinate him. Whoever succeeds gets 10 billion yen.

It sounds like something straight out of a movie, especially when it’s revealed the guy can go at Mach twenty. Then again, Nagisa can do literal magic, so who is he to judge, really? He wonders idly if Asano could match the creature in terms of speed. He’s got no idea how fast his friend can go. 

And apparently he has a thing for cleaning, which is something. Nagisa’s still recovering from the whole “destroyed the moon, destroy the planet” thing.

* * *

“I took a video!” Hinano says later that day, handing her phone to Asano. “They said “no phones” and all, but I don’t think they were actually paying attention.” Nagisa sends her a surprised look, and she shrugs. “And even if they were, I’ve got glamour. I made it pretty unnoticeable.” 

Asano watches the video play over and over again. “What the fuck?” He finally says, looking stunned. He hands Hinano’s phone back to her. “What the fuck is this? Why the fuck are the principal and government allowing this?” He pauses. “Then again, maybe I can see why the principal would allow this.” 

“It didn’t seem like they had much of a choice,” Nagisa offers. “I mean, the guy blew up the moon, and they couldn’t kill him before now. I guess they just wanted to keep an eye on him. And they did make him agree not to hurt us.”

Asano narrows his eyes. “And what happens if he breaks that rule? How would he be punished? What could they even do to stop him?”

There’s a bit of worry that churns in Nagisa’s gut as his friend points this out. “I - I don’t know. I guess at this point we just need to hope he really means it when he says he won’t hurt us.” 

Hinano gives them both a smile. “Cheer up guys! It won’t be so bad. And there is that ten billion yen to think about.” 

“There’s also what happened to Yukimura, and how she’s connected,” Asano points out. “The moon blew up, presumably due to this thing, which is connected to Yukimura’s death and the lab she was working in. How does it all fit together?” They all ponder this in silence for a moment, before he shakes his head. “We should work on protection charms, spells, and potions. Even the smallest thing could come in handy.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Nagisa agrees softly. It’s a hard situation, to be sure. But it’s also really nice to see that Asano cares about them like this.

* * *

Without a real name for him, they end up calling their new teacher Sensei, and he’s just as strange as he looks. Multiple kids try and fail to kill him, and he takes it all with good cheer. Nagisa and Hinano both agree not to try using magic yet, especially until they know more, so there’s not much Nagisa can do to help, seeing as he doesn’t really have any other real talents.

He decides to keep notes on Sensei, at the very least. If they can spot his weaknesses, maybe they can get closer to finishing him off.

And he’s a surprisingly good teacher._ Really _good, in fact. 

“Nagisa! Come over here a sec.” Nagisa looks up from his lunch to see Terasaka’s gang looking at him and smirking. Sugino shoots him a concerned look, and Nagisa shrugs, before getting up to talk to the other boys. 

They lead him outside, where Terasaka turns to him and grins. “We’ve got a plan to take down the octopus. And you’re the best person for the most important part of the job.”

Nagisa blinks, surprised. “Really?” It makes sense that Terasaka would be aiming for the money, but he didn’t think anyone besides his friends would call him the best person for anything. 

Terasaka explains their plan. And… well, technically, it’s a good one. Nagisa knows how to hide his feelings well, he’s pretty sure he could get the drop on Sensei like that. It’s not like any teacher besides Yukimura-sensei ever really saw him anyways, so that’s even more of a reason he could pull it off.

But… Nagisa can practically hear Asano’s voice in the back of his mind, calling him an idiot, throwing what could be his own life away so that someone else can get a bunch of money, how much of a pushover he’d be if he agreed to this.

And Asano was really worried for them. Still is, actually, even if he won’t admit it out loud. And Hinano would hate it if he got hurt. So would Sugino and Kayano, actually.

Nagisa’s got friends, and magic, and maybe even a bit of self respect.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to get hurt so that you can get money,” he says politely to the boys, walking back into the building with his head held high. “If you’re that eager to hurt someone for your plan, do it yourself instead of making others do it for you.”

He pointedly doesn’t look back.

* * *

In the end, Kayano comes up with the name Korosensei for their new teacher, and it sticks. Despite himself, Nagisa finds that he's actually pretty excited for the coming school year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter! And we're into the actual anime now!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review, let me know what you think!


End file.
